Monday, January 24, 2011

Game Review | Donkey Kong Country Returns

I have been on a video game kick this year. I've been buying games a bit extensively (I can admit this with all honesty). My favorite so far is Donkey Kong Country Returns for the Nintendo Wii. I finally bought this title a few weeks ago and I have been enjoying the game so far with B. Hit the jump for my full review.So, Donkey Kong Country Returns is definitely a show of creativity. What made the original Donkey Kong Country exciting was the side-scrolling gameplay with formidable foes and hidden places filled with secrets and mini-games. This new offering revamps the idea with so much imagination that I constantly find myself saying "wow" as I play the level.

The K-O-N-G letters are still around. You can gather them in each level to unlock bonus "platform" temples that are rather difficult. Puzzle pieces are new. If you collect all of them in a level, you can unlock concept images for your viewing pleasure. Between the KONG letters and the puzzle pieces, you'll find yourself revisiting levels to grab every extra item. You can also use banana coins to purchase more balloons (lives), a parrot (helps you find those pesky puzzle pieces, or even banana juice (makes you invincible?—have yet to try it).Donkey Kong and Diddy are both in the game. Their banana hoard has been stolen by some musical tikis, which is the purpose for the game. As you go through the levels, you can visit Cranky Kong's store. Funky and Candy are not around as you don't need to use a barrel plane to visit worlds and your game is saved automatically.

Overall, the game has the same exciting jungle rhythm combined with stunning visuals. Gameplay progressively becomes more difficult as you continue which keeps you on your toes—or on your thumbs. What is my ruling? Is this game worth it's hefty 50 dollar price tag? I haven't even beat the game and I think it is!